Blitzkrieg and the Battle of Britain
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why the Battle of Britain can be viewed as a turning point in the Second World War.
Key learning points
- Germany deployed a tactic known as Blitzkrieg to rapidly defeat and conquer other European nations.
- The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Luxembourg had all surrendered to the Nazis by 1940.
- In order to conquer Britain, Nazi Germany planned to defeat the RAF before a seaborne invasion.
- This led to the Battle of Britain in which the RAF repulsed the Luftwaffe, preventing invasion.
- Although Nazi Germany then carried out the Blitz, they gave up on their plans to invade Britain.
Keywords
Blitzkrieg - or ‘lightning war’, was a new military tactic in which German planes, tanks, and foot soldiers united in a rapid assault to punch a hole through the enemy line
Luftwaffe - the German air force
Allied - the countries, including Britain and France, that fought against the Axis countries, Germany and Italy, in the Second World War
Common misconception
British troops began fighting against Nazi Germany immediately after war was declared.
For eight months, there was very limited British, French and German military land operation on the Western Front. This became known as the 'Phoney War'
Teacher tip
Teachers could explore the significance of the Battle of Britain further by having pupils analyse newspaper headlines and radio or film broadcasts from the period. Pupils should consider whether those at the time ascribed the same levels of significance to it as historians have since.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When an area has been demilitarised, military forces there...
Q2.Adolf Hitler believed in the concept of perpetual...
Q3.In which year did Hitler move German troops into the Rhineland?
Q4.Hitler and the Nazis aimed to built a ' -year Reich'.
Q5.The Conservative MP argued for increased military spending and preparations for war in response to Hitler's actions in 1934.
Q6.Chamberlain’s policy of was a policy of bending to some of Hitler’s demands in order to avoid a war.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these were British responses to declaring war on Germany?
Q2.Which event led to the resignation of Neville Chamberlain as prime minister?
Q3.The German military achieved several victories deploying a tactic which became known as...
Q4.Where did the majority of the British Expeditionary Force become trapped when Germany invaded France?
Q5.The recent invention of helped the RAF to defeat the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.
Q6.After the failure to defeat the RAF, Hitler ordered a bombing campaign known as the...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: Blitzkrieg and the Battle of Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: Blitzkrieg and the Battle of Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the WW2: which events turned the tide in the story of the Second World War? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.